Adding An Oscar To The Bill
In one iconic scene, Lamarr famously told his band of men, “You men are only risking your lives, while I am risking an almost-certain Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor!” Although the actor Harvey Korman didn’t actually win an Oscar, the movie eventually scored three prestigious Academy Awards nominations. In 1974, Madeline Kahn was nominated for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. The movie was also nominated for Best Film Editing, and Best Music, Original Song, as well as receiving two BAFTA awards nominations. The writers of Blazing Saddles, Mel Brooks, Norman Steinberg, Andrew Bergman, Richard Pryor, and Alan Uger also received the Writers Guild of America Award for “Best Comedy Written Directly for the Screen”.
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A Western Inspiration
While Mel Brooks was producing his Western spoof, he wanted to make it as authentic to a Western movie as possible and fill it with cultural references to Western movies and characters. During the casting, Mel hoped to find someone that could impersonate George ‘Gabby’ Hayes, who was an iconic Western actor. So when he discovered the actor Jack Starrett, he realized he found the perfect fit, and we can all agree that Jack impersonated Gabby like a pro.
A Western Inspiration
